Hallloween train steam

The locomotive was hot, though the weather was not. Even so, scores and scores came to experience steam at the Northwest Railway Museum for the final scheduled trains of 2014.  Some guests got their tickets in advance on the Museum's web site, while others bought their tickets just prior to departure. In all, more than 1,000 people rode the steam train, a wonderful way to end scheduled operations for 2014.

The annual Halloween trains operated on October 25 and 26.  Many guests were dressed in Halloween costumes, and cider press demonstrations were presented on the Snoqualmie Depot platform.  Five-car trains operated on Saturday, while four-car trains operated on Sunday, and the event presented an opportunity for the newly-rehabilitated coach 218 to get a really thorough shakedown. 

Santa Cruz Portland Cement 2 pulled trains both days.  Crews ably handled the locomotive despite occasional heavy rain, leaves on the rails, and sanders that struggled with the humid conditions.  Meanwhile, Curator of Collections Stathi Pappas kept a close watch on bearings for overheating using an infrared thermometer.

The next opportunity for a steam experience is during Santa Train 2014 in December.  On Friday, December 19 only, Santa Trains will be pulled by SCPC 2. So come and enjoy another "new" steam experience at the Northwest Railway Museum!  Tickets are available in advance here, but don't delay because Santa Train usually sells out in advance.

Steam program announced

On October 20, 2014, the Northwest Railway Museum officially announced plans for a steam locomotive program, and identified the locomotives that have been selected for rehabilitation, restoration and operation. This is an exciting time for the Museum, and represents continuing fulfillment of the long-term plan first developed nearly 20 years ago.

The steam program will be integrated into the Museum’s interpretive railway, and has been developed with data measured during this year’s pilot steam program that continues in operation through this coming weekend, October 25 and 26.  In 2015, summer steam trains will formally launch and operate with Santa Cruz Portland Cement 2, the 0-4-0 steam locomotive on loan from the Museum’s Curator of Collections Stathi Pappas. This introductory program will operate Memorial Day weekend, most weekends in July and August, Labor Day weekend, and Halloween Train weekend in October.  Following completion of the first of the Museum’s steam locomotive rehabilitations/restorations, the program is tentatively scheduled to expand beginning in late 2016.  

Steam locomotives were a driving force throughout much of Washington State’s history.  They pulled trains throughout the Northwest beginning with the arrival of the first railroads in the 1870s and dominated transportation in Washington until diesel electric locomotives replaced them in the late 1950s at the dawn of the Interstate Highway era.  Steam locomotives transported goods and people during the latter half of westward expansion, and fostered the development and settlement of communities across Washington State and King County.
 

Northern Pacific Railway locomotive 924 selected first

Beginning immediately and over the next two years, the Museum will rehabilitate and restore former Northern Pacific Railway 924, a 0-6-0 (six-coupled) locomotive.  Built by Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works in 1899 for the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad as their number 74, the locomotive was renumbered 924 after that road was purchased by the Northern Pacific Railway. In the early 1900s it was Seattle’s King Street Station coach yard switcher, later serving the Seattle and Tacoma yards, and in light branch line service.  Sold in 1925 to the Inland Empire Paper Company in Millwood, Washington she remained on their roster until 1969.

​This locomotive is a classic example of late 19th century Northwest switching and branch line steam locomotives.  When the locomotive is complete, the Museum will be the only American institution operating class one steam west of Colorado with regionally-appropriate motive power and rolling stock on its original railroad. 
 

Two operating locomotives will allow the steam program to continue during scheduled maintenance and periodic servicing, and will allow for expanded service during large events.  Consequently, the Museum is planning for the operation of two steam locomotives.

Canadian Collieries locomotive 14 selected as second.

Following completion of steam locomotive 924, the Museum will begin the complete rehabilitation of steam locomotive 14, a classic 4-6-0 (“ten wheeler”) locomotive.  The 14 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1898 for the Union Colliery Company as their number 4 using the same design developed for the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway.  When that Vancouver Island mine was absorbed into Canadian Collieries, it was renumbered 14 and continued in service until 1960 when it was purchased by the Museum.   

Canadian Collieries 14 is a classic Baldwin ten wheeler that will allow the Museum to provide a complete and authentic experience recreating railway passenger service from the first two decades of the 20th century.  Ten wheelers were the most popular and greatest-produced locomotive of all time and examples were found on nearly every major railroad in the Northwest, including the lines of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway that ran through Snoqualmie.


Making it happen!

The Museum is making a significant commitment to steam by investing in people and facilities.  A qualified team of paid and volunteer staff with prior experience in steam locomotive rehabilitation and restoration has been assembled and is being led by Curator of Collections Stathi Pappas.  Pappas has a graduate degree in Archeology, and has participated or led more than a dozen similar projects.

The machinery required to perform the work has already been obtained for all aspects of boiler and running gear work.  The work will be performed inside the Conservation and Restoration Center, the purpose-built collections care facility opened in 2007 and already equipped with an inspection pit, a monolithic floor, and utilities including sanitary sewer with oil-water separator that allow the Museum to maintain the locomotives in an environmentally-responsible manner.  

Several major grants and contributions have been pledged and work will begin next week; additional fundraising will be performed during the next 24 months to offset costs that will approach $1 million.  Contributions are encouraged and will be used to directly pay for the work performed; they can be made on the Museum's secure web site here and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.   

More steam please!

We heard you ask, and now we are answering: more steam at the Northwest Railway Museum!  

The next weekend of steam featuring Mr. Pappas' Santa Cruz Portland Cement locomotive 2 will be October 4 and 5, 2014 on the Fall Schedule with departures from Snoqualmie.  Fares are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for children.  You can purchase tickets in advance for departure from Snoqualmie with no added cost using the Northwest Railway Museum's web site.

But wait, there's more!

Halloween Train is an annual tradition  held the last weekend of October every year at the Northwest Railway Museum.  Trains run on the summer schedule on October 25 and 26, 2014, but this year they will be hauled by the Santa Cruz Portland Cement locomotive 2.  Fares are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for children.  You can purchase tickets in advance for departure from Snoqualmie with no added cost using the Northwest Railway Museum's web site; your tickets will be held at will call for pickup at least 30 minutes prior to your scheduled departure.

And there is even more!

One day of Santa Train 2014 will also be hauled by steam! SCPC 2 will pull the Friday, December 19, 2014 Santa Train. There is no extra charge for steam, but advance tickets will incur a modest fee to defer the cost of postage.  All Santa Trains depart from the North Bend Depot and your ticket includes refreshment served at Snoqualmie, and a small gift for all participating children.  Tickets will be on sale to the public beginning September 13, 2014 using the Museum's web site.

Railroad Days 2014

Snoqualmie Railroad Days 2014 was a spectacular success, featuring the first operating steam locomotive in 25 years, the Santa Cruz Portland Cement 2.  More than 2,000 people took an excursion or tour, and an estimated 12,000 visitors attended at least one event or activity.  A grand parade, fun run, Legends Car Show, live music, history reenactors from Fort Nisqually, timber sports demonstrations and more made this Snoqualmie Railroad Days one to remember! 

Snoqualmie Railroad Days is a community event managed and hosted by the Northwest Railway Museum.  This 76th annual festival was held August 15 - 17, and was made possible by the generous support of the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, City of Snoqualmie, All Weather Heating, Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District, and Carmichael's True Value Hardware.  And support from the YMCA and their awesome volunteers made the Children's Field of Fun truly successful.

Among the many events and activities were the history reenactors from Fort Nisqually, the recreated Hudson's Bay fort in Tacoma's Point Defiance Park.  Volunteers provide living history demonstrations at the fort and graciously agreed to visit Snoqualmie Railroad Days. These dedicated volunteers demonstrated how rope was made, gave cooking demonstrations, displayed children's vintage games, performed blacksmith demonstrations, and more.

Art in the Park, supported by Snoqualmie Arts Commission, featured Arts and Craft demonstrations, displays of artwork, and live music at and Redmond Ridge Winery stage. Local artists including carvers, painters, quilters, and potters were on hand throughout the event.  

The Legends Car Show was held on Sunday, August 17 during Railroad Days.  More than 100 classic and antique cars were on exhibit all day, staged along Railroad Avenue in the center of historic downtown Snoqualmie.  This remarkable show was the largest-ever in Snoqualmie, and featured a wide variety of vehicles.  A variety of awards were made to exhibiting autos too, and visitors helped choose the winners.

Many other activities contributed to the success, and the very essence of Snoqualmie Railroad Days.  A variety of craft and home-based vendors exhibited and marketed their unique and interesting products.  Local honey producers, clothing, and even book dealers were set up along Railroad Avenue.

One of many highlights was a concert by Spike and the Impalers, (no connection to this author!) and their well known members Bob, Spike, and Joe.  These gentlemen were the talent behind the Bob Rivers Show, which recently retired from Seattle's KJR-FM. Awesome sound that this Spike can still feel!

For the City of Snoqualmie, forest products had the greatest economic impact of the 20th Century.  So how appropriate would a timber sports demonstration be in celebrating the community's history? Quite!  The Moses Family and many others put on an awesome demonstration of logging skills in the park adjacent to the Snoqualmie River. Featured events included axe throwing, and whip saw and chain saw competition.

Trains and engines were also part of Snoqualmie Railroad Days.  The United Northwest Model Railroad Club set up model trains and operated throughout the event. Coach 218 operated all weekend allowing hundreds of people to experience an authentic excursion in a 1912 coach complete with mohair-covered seats, mahogany paneling, and a hardwood floor.  And of course all the trains were pulled or pushed by steam locomotive Santa Cruz Portland Cement 2, courtesy of owner Stathi Pappas and event sponsors.

More Railroad Days steam testing!

 

For the first steam operating in 25 years - and during the annual Snoqualmie Railroad Days on top of that - there were lots of variables to resolve.  A test train was the solution Museum staff chose to identify obvious issues or concerns.  So on August 13, SCPC 2 was steamed up and operated to Snoqualmie Falls without passengers so the route could be evaluated, and yesterday's post revealed a few more details about the planned operation. 

 

Now a day later, we can say that number 2 performed beautifully without any difficulties pulling the train up a 1.5% grade without assistance, posing for photos in all the right places - check it out for yourself in the video included with this post! Or why not come up and take advantage of this extremely rare opportunity to ride behind it to experience for yourself?  Tickets may be purchased in advance on the Museum's web page, or 30 minutes prior to departure from the Snoqualmie or North Bend depots.

 

Steam for Snoqualmie Railroad Days 2014 is being made possible in part by a grant from the Snoqualmie Tribe, GiveBIG! contributors, sustained support from 4Culture, and a lodging tax grant from the City of Snoqualmie. If there are any proceeds from the event, they will be used in the development of the Museum's new steam program that will restore one or more locomotives to operation.

 

Steam test for Snoqualmie Railroad Days!

August 13 marks the first run of a steam locomotive to Snoqualmie Falls in 25 years.  Only the crew is on board this "extra" train for a run just to make sure all the operating procedures, appliances, and other equipment works as planned before Snoqualmie Railroad Days begins.  The steam locomotive is known as SCPC 2 and is owned by Stathi Pappas.  It will be the star attraction of Railroad Days 2014 and is being made possible in part by a grant from the Snoqualmie Tribe, GiveBIG! contributors, sustaining support from 4Culture, and a lodging tax grant from the City of Snoqualmie.

After everything checks out, this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 15 - 17, 2014, will see the first scheduled steam train in 25 years will operate between Snoqualmie Falls and North Bend and you can ride!

You can purchase your tickets in advance on the Museum's web site or in the depot 30 minutes prior to departure.  Please note the "extra" 5 PM departure available on Saturday, August 16, and on Sunday, August 17 on the 12:30 train you can get off at the Snoqualmie Falls Depot and get a tour of the new Snoqualmie Falls Historic Area Museum, but only with a special ticket available here.  People taking the Sunday tour will be on board the first scheduled steam train to stop at the Snoqualmie Falls Depot since passenger service ended in the 1920s - all aboard!

Scenes from Day Out With Thomas 2014

The Day Out With Thomas Thrill of the Ride Tour was another successful event at the Northwest Railway Museum! Nearly 16,000 guests enjoyed a visit with Thomas the Tank Engine, and a multitude of activities.  This 13th annual visit of that Very Useful Engine was skillfully staffed by many of the Museum's 130 active volunteers who contributed hundreds of hours doing everything from checking tickets to running the locomotive to guiding visitors to applying tattoos to emptying garbage.  And the Santa Cruz Portland Cement 2 steam locomotive even made a cameo appearance to let everyone know about Snoqualmie Railroad Days on August 15 - 17.  Check out these scenes from this year's fabulous event -

Coach 218 was at the head of the
train during Day Out With Thomas.

Sir Topham Hatt greeeted
visitors throughout the
event.

Motor car rides were a highlight for
many children and their parents.

A variety of Thomas-
themed merchandise was
offered in the retail tent.

Digital play stations debuted in this
year's Imagination Station.

  Scratch the cat visited    
this year too!                  

Eric Ode presented a variety of
material throughout the event.

Live steam locomotive models operated
on a layout during the event.

Photo opportunities with
Thomas the Tank Engine
were available from JED
Photography.

Punch and Judy was performed by
Clay Martin throughout the event.

Great food from Snoqualmie Falls
Candy Factory and Sahara's Pizza
was enjoyed by many throughout the
day.

Families could take their own photo
with Thomas too!

There were lots of learning
opportunities too.

US Plywood 11 was a featured exhibit.

Hi Thomas!

Santa Cruz Portland
Cement 2 was a special
guest who will return on
Railroad Days, Aug 15 -
17.

The splendid newly rehabilitated
interior in coach 218, a 1912-built
wood car that ran between Vancouver
and Spokane.